The iPhone’s Growth Potential, As Seen by Asymco

If you thought Apple’s iPhone had no room for growth, Horace Dediu of Asymco posted just the right information for you on Wednesday.

According to his research, the iPhone is currently available through about a third of the world’s 816 operators (the global list compiled by Dediu lists 802 operators, but estimations based on non-public data show there are about 816 mobile phone operators globally).

In addition, there are about 6 billion subscribers worldwide. The iPhone addresses about 50%, or 2.8 billion, according to Dediu’s estimations, which, divided into continents, looks like this:

Middle-east/Africa has 29%

Asia/Pacific is at 39%

Europe 73%

The Americas 83%

Considering the above numbers, the question becomes: where does the iPhone have the most room for growth? Dediu has the answer:

India: 658 million

China: 622 million

Pakistan: 116 million

Russia: 102 million

Nigeria: 89 million

The above numbers show the number of unaddressed subscribers, but the picture isn’t complete unless we mention the developed world as well: for instance, Japan has a 69 million subscriber opportunity, and even the US has 80 million subscribers without direct access to Apple’s flagship smartphone.